A HISTORY OF LONDON T. T. Lynch, proved that Calvinism, though still professed by a majority of Independents and Baptists, was no longer a dominant force. Co-operation among various denominations, especially in evangelistic enterprise, became usual ; and before the end of the century practically all the London Non- conformists except the Unitarians and a few erratic sects were united in a Metropolitan Federation of Evangelical Free Churches. The pompous and affected style of pulpit oratory which had long been in vogue was revolu- tionized, largely by the example of Thomas Binney and Charles Haddon Spurgeon, giving place to familiar address or passionate appeal. The unreasoning but deep-rooted prejudice of certain classes against all kinds of churches was at length reluctantly recognized, and it was found that such persons would listen to the Gospel in halls and theatres, if ecclesiastical conventionalisms were avoided. Accordingly much success has attended evangelistic work undertaken by Congregationalists in the Crown Theatre, Peckham ; by Wesleyans in St. James's Hall, Piccadilly ; by Primitive Methodists in St. George's Hall, Old Kent Road ; by Bible Christians in the Victoria Hall, Waterloo Road, and by the managers of the Regent Street Polytechnic, the Great Assembly Hall in Mile End Road, and the Edinburgh Castle, Stepney. An unconventional Gospel Mission was commenced in the East End by the Rev. William Booth and his wife in 1865, which twelve years later deve- loped into the Salvation Army. At first evangelistic in a narrow sense, and provoking hostility by its unconventional methods, it ere long recognized the need of a temporal as well as a spiritual salvation for the most abject part of the community ; and its achievements have won admiring recognition from all ranks of society. Another new departure in recent years is the Insti- tutional Church, where the religious society is a nucleus around which gather a variety of educational, social, benevolent, provident, and even recreative institutions. Probably the most successful example is Whitefield's Tabernacle, Tottenham Court Road. No census of worship has been taken by public authority since i 8 5 i , but in 1902—3 the proprietors of the Daily News ascertained by actual enumeration the number of persons attending in the morning and evening of some one Sunday at every place of worship in an area corresponding roughly to a radius of 12 miles round Charing Cross. Comparison with the Census of 1851 seems to show that while the population of the seven parliamentary areas above summarized has increased about 41 -5 per cent., the nonconforming worshippers have increased 46 per cent, and their meeting places 1 1 5 per cent. It would also seem that while the Old Dissent is practically stationary, showing only 4 per cent, increase of worshippers, the communities that arose from the Methodist Revival increased by 47 per cent., and the attendants at undenominational, mission, and miscellaneous services multiplied more than sixfold. 396
